47573 S U B - S A H A R A N A F R I C A L P P t h p p t ld 2000 P d t D l W O R L D B A N K I N S T I T U T E 8 8 H t t, , 4 , h t , D , 04 T l ph 0 4 8 0 0 l d l @ ld h A F R I C A R E G I O N O F T H E W O R L D B A N K 8 8 H t t, , 08 , h t , D , 04 T l ph 0 4 l @ ld L P d P t h p p t ld h Investing in people and ideas is a powerful means of promoting equi- table and sustainable development that complements World Bank financing for development. To fulfill this key role the Bank designs and delivers learning programs to help countries make the best use of financial, human, and natural resources. For over forty years the World Bank Institute has been the Bank's main instrument for deliver- ing learning programs covering the full range of development issues and skills to Bank clients and staff. The Institute places a high priority on capacity building in Africa. Thirty percent of all the resources the World Bank Institute has available for region-specific activities are devoted to the continent's 48 Sub-Saharan African countries. In the 21st century, Sub-Saharan Africa faces a number of unique development challenges. Although considerable differences naturally exist among the region's countries, there has been a clear shift in recent years toward improved development performance that is marked by enhanced macroeconomic stability and political and eco- nomic liberalization. To achieve the ultimate goal of poverty reduc- tion, a concerted effort must be made over several years to sustain this fragile progress and to forge an inclusive pattern of development capable of producing high and equitable growth rates. This, in turn, will involve continued prudent macroeconomic management and lib- eralization. In addition, it will require a systematic deepening of the more institutional reforms that are at the core of increasing human resources and raising supply capacity. While emphasis on policy and investment varies from country to country according to specific cir- cumstances, the focus is increasingly on consolidation of stabilization gains, state formation or reconstruction, good governance and par- ticipation, accountable and effective public institutions and services, market efficiency with adequate regulation for both the rural and Sub-Saharan Africa | 2000 1 urban sectors, trade reform and regional integration, removal of infrastructure bottlenecks, and an improved human capital base. Driven by the priorities listed above, the World Bank's learning pro- gram in Sub-Saharan Africa attempts to help client countries further this ambitious agenda, drawing on the latest advances in knowledge, best practices, and experience in a broad range of economic, social, and environmental issues. The program is based on a common vision of the World Bank's Africa region and the Institute working in close partnership with the Bank's thematic networks as well as external partners, including donors, foundations, and other knowledge insti- tutions. The program draws on the combined resources of the Bank and external partners to support client training and capacity building needs as determined by specific country requests, regional concerns, and the World Bank's Country Assistance Strategies. This brochure describes the Bank's main learning activities for Sub-Saharan Africa for fiscal years 2000 and 2001. Vinod Thomas Callisto Madavo Vice President Vice President World Bank Institute Africa Region World Bank Institute 2 h t t th h L P The World Bank's learning and capacity building programs are vital in creating an enabling environment to ensure the success of its lend- ing programs. Bringing economic well-being to the largest number of people requires not only financial resources but also the sharing of knowledge and experiences as a basis for improving people's lives. Although various kinds of capacity building activities are carried out by departments throughout the Bank, the World Bank Institute (WBI) is the key vehicle for capacity building through face-to-face and dis- tance learning. As the learning arm of the Bank, the Institute orga- nizes courses , seminars, knowledge networks, and policy advice. It delivers nearly 500 training activities annually for decisionmakers and policymakers through face to face and distance learning. WBI lever- ages its outreach through partnerships and distance learning and through programs for "gatekeepers" such as journalists, mayors and parliamentarians, and civil society. It is taking the lead in using new technologies to expand its training and outreach programs. The World Bank Institute's mission is to support client countries' devel- opment efforts through tailored learning programs that are offered to governments, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), interna- tional development practitioners (including Bank staff), and other stakeholders, covering topics related to economic and social develop- ment. WBI's knowledge services include direct training programs along with structured exchanges of ideas and experiences. The Insti- tute's support for Sub-Saharan Africa is provided at three levels: global, regional, and national as follows. Global The appreciation of global issues and sharing of worldwide experi- ences and best practices are key to the design and implementation of economic and social policies. WBI's core courses and global con- Sub-Saharan Africa | 2000 3 ferences are designed to bring the lessons of worldwide experience to participants from Sub-Saharan Africa and around the world. During fiscal year 2000, WBI offered 22 core courses covering a wide variety of topics of global interest, for example, Macroeconomic Management, Competition Policy, Budgeting and Public Expenditure, Privatization, Infrastructure Finance, Transport Regulation, Anticor- ruption, Institutional Reform for Rural Development, Urban and City Management, Education Policy, Health Financing, Environmental Economics, Social Dimensions of Development, and Economics and Business Journalism. Regional Thematic issues of interest to Sub-Saharan African countries are addressed in regional activities, covering themes such as parliamen- tary effectiveness, water supply, microfinance, agriculture manage- ment, education learning outcomes, privatization, civic participation, banking supervision and social development funds. Some notable examples of WBI's regional activities in Africa include the Girl's Educa- tion Initiative, the Municipal Development Program, the Africities Conferences, Grassroots Management Program for Women Entrepre- neurs, the Institutional Reform for Sustainable Rural Development Program, and a series of workshops on decentralization and service delivery. National National programs, which take into account their potential impact and clients' interest, are concentrated in a limited number of focus countries as agreed upon with Africa Operations. Some examples of country-specific programs include macroeconomic management in Angola, dialogue with labor unions in Benin, banking supervision in Ethiopia, agricultural management in South Africa, and governance and anticorruption in Uganda. World Bank Institute 4 th xt l P t WBI relies on a variety of partnerships to help leverage its resources, to ensure responsiveness to operational needs, and to build local capacity. Its learning activities are all conducted in partnership with donors, multilateral and bilateral development agencies, U.N. agen- cies, NGOs, regional and national training institutes, and other public and private bodies. The Institute works with more than 200 training partners and 100 bilateral, international organizations, foundations, and private sector organizations worldwide. The World Bank's external partnerships in the region generally fall into three categories as follows. R E G I O N A L K N O W L E D G E P A RT N E R S H I P S The specificity of countries' requests calls for WBI to work closely with local partners to adapt and deliver the courses and with other content providers to cover the broader array of learning needs. Through the Institutional Partnership Program, these two objectives are generally met. First, the partnership allows WBI to improve the quality, relevance, and impact of its regional training by working with the partner to tailor course content and materials to regional and country concerns. Second, WBI is able to strengthen the partner's subject matter expertise through exposure to the global ideas and experience of the World Bank. Partner institutions send their faculty members to attend the courses that the partners propose to repli- cate. Then, WBI trainers and graduates work together in the design, adaptation, joint delivery, and evaluation of the course. In a little over two years, since the Institutional Partnership Program's incep- tion, 700 trainers have attended WBI core courses with a view to offering them locally. They represent faculty from over 300 different Sub-Saharan Africa | 2000 5 universities and research centers worldwide. In fiscal year 2000, WBI's partners delivered 30 courses. WBI's goal is to enable partner institutions to run these programs by themselves, initially with strong WBI support followed by a gradual reduction in its contribution. After a three-year period, partner institutions are expected to take up the full responsibility for program delivery. At that point, the Institute limits its role to a supervisory capacity, monitoring quality, updating training materials, and providing occasional support in course delivery and retraining or upgrading the partner institutions' faculty. While partner institutions are too numerous to discuss fully in this brochure, some of WBI's external partners include the African Economic Research Consortium, the Forum for African Women Educationalists, Macroeconomic and Financial Management Institute of Eastern and Southern Africa, the U.N. Economic Commission for Africa, and a number of universities, including Abidjan-Cocody, Accra, Cape Town, Makerere, Namibia, and Witwatersrand. In 1999, an agreement was reached to launch the Joint Africa Institute (JAI), a regional training institute located in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, and jointly supported by the African Development Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank. Twelve programs were offered at the Joint Africa Institute in its first six months of operation. G L O B A L C E N T E R S O F E X C E L L E N C E In the interest of ensuring that participants in World Bank-sponsored learning programs gain access to cutting-edge knowledge and the best possible materials, the Bank frequently works closely with uni- versities and other institutions recognized as worldwide centers of excellence in the development of its courses. Examples include the Global Pension Crisis Seminar, which is offered jointly with the Harvard Institute for International Development. Another example is the Flagship Health Reform and Sustainable Financing Core Course, which was designed in close collaboration with the World Health Organization, five leading university health economics and public health programs, and a top Chilean health consultancy group. World Bank Institute 6 D O N O R S Official donors and foundations are central to the design and delivery of the World Bank's learning programs in Africa, making crucial technical and financial contributions to a wide range of learning activities. In the past several years, donors that have made major contributions to WBI's Africa programs have included the govern- ments of Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom; the Rockefeller Foundation; the European Economic Commission; and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). Increasingly, WBI is also making efforts to partner more effectively with the private sector. Already, a number of high-tech companies have provided support for WBI's World Links (WorLD) Program that, among other things, promotes school-to- school links via the Internet. Sub-Saharan Africa | 2000 7 D t L WBI is extending its outreach through distance learning and by har- nessing the newest learning technologies. A review of the delivery modalities of the WBI Core Courses shows that in fiscal year 2000 most of the courses used distance learning in addition to face to face delivery, resulting in increased reach of the learning programs as well as cost efficiencies. With the help of major advances in communications technology, distance learning now offers a cost-effective and pedagogically sound means of building capacity for development. The Institute recently launched two initiatives to bring the promise of distance learning to fruition. On the content side, it has begun modifying its set of courses for delivery via distance learning to client countries. Videoconferencing facilities located in regional partner institutions are also being used to deliver just-in-time training through clinics and short courses. The region also uses the World Bank Learning Network (WBLN), the Bank's distance learning service, to deliver a variety of courses through distance learning technologies. See page 25 for a list of activities. G L O B A L D E V E L O P M E N T L E A R N I N G N E T W O R K WBI is also taking a lead in the development of the Bank's Global Development Learning Network (GDLN). This is a growing network of distance learning centers which provide fully interactive internet and video conferencing services. The Network gives clients access to learning opportunities based on knowledge and experience from around the world including from the Bank and partner organizations. It also encourages south to south dialogue and learning. Demand is high. As of May 2000 there were already 13 centers which were operational these are expected to rise to 50 in two years. Sub-Saharan Africa | 2000 9 One of GDLN's objectives is to connect clients and knowledge providers from around the world through interactive multisite video, electronic classrooms, satellite communications, and the Internet. In fiscal year 2000, GDLN centers have opened in Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, and Uganda. More are expected to open in fiscal year 2001 in Burkina Faso, Malawi, Mauritania, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Selected Learning P h C O M P R E H E N S I V E D E V E L O P M E N T A N D P O V E R T Y R E D U C T I O N Workshop on Poverty Reduction Strategies The main purpose of this workshop is to encourage and empower all stakeholders to approach development in a holistic fashion, and seek participatory and sustainable solutions for the problems of poverty and underdevelopment in the national, regional, and global setting. In this context, the workshop will be organized as a collection of eight debates tailored to regional interests, and could include questions relating to: (i) reshaping global rules for poverty reduction; (ii) governance, social capital, and participation; (iii) effective and inclusive public spending: priorities, synergies, and tradeoffs; (iv) expanding human capabilities; (v) dealing with vulnerability and managing risk; (vi) market reforms and pro-poor development; (vii) gender; (viii) globalization and capital markets; (ix) aid effective- ness and debt reduction; and (x) macro management for the poor. The course will target: (i) researchers and trainers from the partici- pant partner institutions; (ii) policy analysts from government agen- cies in the participating countries; (iii) policy analysts from NGOs operating in the participating countries; and (iv) private sector representatives. Contact: Galina Voytsehovska, telephone: 1-202-473-6463, e-mail: gvoytsehovska@worldbank.org World Bank Institute 10 Poverty Analysis for Policymaking This course aims to enhance or develop in-country capacity in poverty analysis and its link to data collection and policymaking by offering hands-on training on methods on how to count the poor and evaluate how policies and programs can affect the poor. It also demonstrates how the poor respond to policies and programs to better understand the effectiveness and limitations of alternative policies and programs designed to combat poverty. It offers two types of in-country capacity building: (i) a face-to-face poverty course on poverty measurement and program evaluation methods; and (ii) a distance learning course on how households and individuals respond to growth and poverty reduction strategies. Target audience: Train- ers, academic researchers, policy analysts, government officials from statistical and other agencies, and development practitioners from the private, NGO, and public sectors with a common interest in strategies for economic growth and poverty reduction. Duration: Face-to-face course: 10 days; distance learning (DL) course: 8 weeks. Contact: Ms. Galina Voytsehovska, telephone: 1-202-473-6463, email: Gvoytsehovska@worldbank.org E C O N O M I C P O L I C Y A N D P U B L I C S E C T O R M A N A G E M E N T Issues in Macroeconomic Management Using the GDLN, the Bank offers a twelve-week course on Analytical and Policy Issues in Macroeconomic Management. In addition to weekly teleconferences, the course relies on a variety of methods, including learning space, email, print, CD-ROM, and videotape. Close collaboration among course instructors, the distance learning instructional designer, the World Bank field offices, and local moder- ators is instrumental in guaranteeing success. The enthusiastic recep- tion that the course receives shows clearly the potential that distance learning has for satisfying the burgeoning demand for training. Contact: Pierre-Richard Agénor, telephone: 1-202-473-9054, email: pagenor@worldbank.org Global Integration and the New Trade Agenda As the pace of global integration accelerates, it becomes ever more urgent that Africans learn how to take advantage of the opportunities Sub-Saharan Africa | 2000 11 while avoiding the pitfalls. WBI has developed a core course focusing on the new trade agenda that confronts governments today and is likely to be addressed in the next World Trade Organization (WTO) multilateral round. In addition, WBI has developed a research and capacity building project in cooperation with the Bank's research group. A wide range of research papers was commissioned on African priorities in services, industrial policy, procurement, and intellectual property and on improving African participation in the WTO process. These papers will be presented in a series of subregional workshops. This program will help African governments become more effective participants in the next WTO round and help them recognize the types of domestic reforms that are in their own long- term interests. Contact: Philip English, telephone: 1-202-473-6483, email: penglish@worldbank.org Governance The World Bank has launched a three-phase pilot anticorruption course, designed for senior policymakers, public officials, and key representatives of civil society. The course provides participants with concrete alternatives to prepare practical action programs and imple- ment initiatives to fight corruption. The analytical framework of this course is anchored within mainstream economics (including public economics, public finance, political economy, and regulatory eco- nomics) and public administration. Participants develop national anti- corruption action plans that the World Bank and other donors will subsequently finance. Contact: Frederick Stapenhurst, telephone: 1-202-473-3210, email: fstapenhurst@worldbank.org Masters in Economic Policy Management Since 1987, the Bank has provided scholarships funded by the government of Japan to mid-career African professionals to pursue masters' programs and doctoral studies in Northern universities in a variety of disciplines chosen by scholarship recipients. In addition, a master's program in Economic Policy Management, initially taught at Clermont-Ferrand and McGill Universities, was transferred to four African partner universities in 1998. The Universities of Legon-Ghana and Makerere-Uganda are offering an Economic Policy Management program in English, while the universities of Cocody-Côte d'Ivoire and Yaounde II-Cameroon are providing a similar World Bank Institute 12 master's program in French. The Economic Policy Management programs offer courses in economics, policy, and management. For further information, including how to apply, please refer to www.worldbank.org/wbi/scholarships or fax: Scholarship Secretariat, The World Bank, fax number (1-202-522-4036) E N V I R O N M E N T A N D S U S T A I N A B L E A G R I C U L T U R E Institutional Reform for Sustainable Rural Development The overall objective is to help participating countries formulate and implement policy initiatives and institutional reforms for more sus- tainable rural development and natural resource use. The program seeks to advance and contribute to the policy dialogue on these issues primarily by strengthening analytical and training capacity not only in participating governments and universities, but also in the private sector and in civil society. Another objective is the development and testing of training materials in decentralization and community- based development, because these areas are emerging as the princi- pal institutional reform strategies pursued by governments in this field. Training-of-trainers is a priority and an informal network has been established among some of the best alumni. Among other locations, this activity is offered at the Joint Africa Institute based in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. Contact: Vicente Ferrer, telephone: 1-202-473- 9405, email: vferrer@worldbank.org Forest Policy Development The objective of this regional workshop is to develop a blueprint to unify the national forest policies in five countries of the Congo Basin (Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon). The audience is made up of senior managers of the forest sector in each of these countries, managers of regional organizations, and NGOs involved in the promotion of sus- tainable forest management. The expected outcome is the develop- ment of a proposal and plan of action to coordinate and harmonize national forest policies in the five Congo Basin countries listed above. Contact: Mwangi Wachira, telephone: 1-202-473-8529, email: mwachira@worldbank.org Sub-Saharan Africa | 2000 13 Management of Agricultural Projects This Training-of-Trainers workshop aims to upgrade the managerial skills of agricultural project managers. The participants increase their understanding of the management of agricultural projects and improve their skills as trainers in the field. They also carry out needs analysis and develop training programs for government departments in their countries. WBI provides the participants with international experience in the management of agricultural projects. At the same time, participants collaborate on the development of training courses for managers of projects in their countries that are sponsored by the World Bank, the African Development Bank, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development. Contact: Mwangi Wachira, telephone: 1-202-473-8529, email: mwachira@worldbank.org Water Sector Reform and Water Resources Management The Institute's Water Policy Reform Program helps policymakers and practitioners prepare and implement reforms leading to sustainable water resources management in World Bank client countries. In Africa, it operates within the context of the Africa Water Resources Management Initiative, the Water Utility Partnership for Africa, and the Global Water Partnership. Contact: François-Marie Patorni, telephone: 1-202-473-6265, email: fmpatorni@worldbank.org U R B A N D E V E L O P M E N T Intergovernmental Fiscal Relations and Local Financial Management WBI and the Municipal Development Program collaborated on pre- senting a course on Intergovernmental Fiscal Relations and Local Financial Management for Eastern and Southern Africa. The course focuses on s Ensuring correspondence between subnational expenditure responsibilities and financial resources s Increasing autonomy of subnational governments by providing incentives to mobilize revenues s Designing budget policies that are responsive to clients' needs and contribute to macroeconomic stability s Providing mechanisms for mobilizing revenues in an accountable, efficient, equitable, and transparent manner World Bank Institute 14 s Establishing a set of intergovernmental transfers based on objective and predictable criteria s Minimizing administrative costs to conserve administrative resources s Incorporating mechanisms to support public infrastructure development and its financing. Contact: Mary McNeil, telephone: 1-202-473-3861, email: mmcneil@worldbank.org or Victor Vergara, telephone: 1-202-473-3942, email: vvergara@worldbank.org F I N A N C E , R E G U L A T I O N , A N D P R I V A T E S E C T O R D E V E L O P M E N T Securities Market Development In the last two years, this program focused mainly on West and Cen- tral francophone Africa with the development of stock exchanges in these regions. The objectives of the program were two-fold. The first was to assist responsible policymakers in creating an enabling and prudentially regulated environment for the orderly development of financial markets. The second objective in the recently organized African regional securities markets was to help public and private sector market participants to improve their knowledge of market concepts via a series of skills building and market simulation courses. WBI will continue to offer this program in West and Central Africa in partnership with a local institution, the Center for Advanced Studies in Business Administration and Management (CESAG) in Dakar, Senegal, which will become the program leader. New initiatives will be developed in East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania) with modules on Financial Market Instruments for Risk Management. Contact: Demir Yener, telephone: 1-202-473-5811 Banking Reform and Supervision This program contemplates a variety of activities at the national and regional levels that are designed to reform banking systems and strengthen banking supervision. Activities that started in fiscal year 1999 will be intensified. WBI will provide training to bankers in selected African countries where the banking system is being restruc- tured from a government-dominated to a market-based system. Contact: Laurence Hart, telephone: 1-202-458-5818, email: lhart@worldbank.org Utilities Regulation Privatization of utilities is increasing in francophone Africa. New regulatory agencies are being created in various countries, but the staffing of these agencies is problematic because there are few civil servants that have the required skills. This intensive course aims to provide the basic knowledge needed to become an effective regulator. The main objective of this course is to teach the economic regulation of privatized utilities. Participants are regulators from francophone African countries. Contact: Antonio Estache, telephone: 1-202-458-1442, email: aestache@worldbank.org Privatization and Regulation of Transport Services This course for francophone Africa provides the necessary tools to enable transport regulators and policymakers to address the main issues that typically arise in the transport sectors after some type of privatization. It enhances participants' economic, technical, and policy skills through a combination of lectures and case studies designed to facilitate exposure to recent developments in theory, the dissemina- tion of the lessons of best international practice, and the exchange Sub-Saharan Africa | 2000 17 of experience among the new practitioners of regulation. Contact: Antonio Estache, telephone: 1-202-458-1442, email: aestache@worldbank.org T H E A R T I S A N A S E N T R E P R E N E U R Investing in West African Culture: The Artisan as Entrepreneur This workshop is designed to increase participants' knowledge and skill in designing projects and policies to promote artisan enterprise development as a way of reducing poverty, empowering women, and conserving cultural identity. These are regional activities and include participants from governments, NGOs, and private sectors in selected countries where the potential return on investment in crafts development is considered extremely high. World Bank staff and other development partners working in these countries are also encouraged to participate. This program is meant to result in (a) an improved policy environment for the development of artisan enter- prise in countries represented at the seminar; (b) increased use of information technology to improve competitiveness in the global market; (c) increased availability of business development services (both financial and nonfinancial) specifically geared to the needs of extremely poor artisan-entrepreneurs. Contact: Jerri Dell, telephone: 1-202-473-3210, email: jdell@worldbank.org H U M A N D E V E L O P M E N T Development Education WBI's Development Education Program provides a series of two to three training workshops for secondary school teachers and curricu- lum developers on teaching about issues of sustainable development in Southern Africa. The workshops are designed to (a) introduce teachers and curriculum developers to Development Education Program learning resources online and in print; (b) reinforce interac- tive, participatory teaching methods; (c) identify social, economic, and environmental issues of sustainable development in Southern Africa and customize Development Education Program materials to incorpo- rate these issues; and (d) create communities of practice among teachers and curriculum developers in the region. Contact: Katherine Sheram, telephone: 1-202-473-1945, email: ksheram@worldbank.org World Bank Institute 18 Education Reform WBI is developing an Education Core Course on Education Reform. The overall goals of this course include familiarizing the participants with economic, political, human development, and equity rationales for education reform and understanding the enabling conditions for launching educational reform and the range of reforms that are possi- ble. Offered initially to a global audience, the course will be tailored to African countries. Contact: Koffi Edoh, telephone: 1-202-473-6439, email: kedoh@worldbank.org World Links for Development Program The WorLD program links students and teachers in secondary schools in developing countries with their counterparts in industrial- ized countries for collaborative research, teaching, and learning programs via the internet. Between 1997 and 2001, it will link 1,200 secondary schools in 40 developing countries with partner schools in Australia, Canada, Japan, the United States, and in Europe. A complete package of services offers connectivity, teacher training, content for collaborative learning, technical assistance to promote improved telecommunications policy and reforms, and monitoring and evaluation. The program even helps secure private sector donations of hardware and software. The first set of African priority countries consists of Ghana, Mauritania, Mozambique, Senegal, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. More information is available on the WorLD website: www.worldbank.org/worldlinks. Contact: Sam Carlson, telephone: 1-202-473-7561, email: scarlson@worldbank.org Health Sector Reform and Sustainable Financing In 1997, WBI launched a Flagship Program on Health Sector Reform and Sustainable Financing. It aims to build a constituency of health care managers and decisionmakers who share a common under- standing of the challenges and paradigms of health sector reform. The program is now in its second phase, which consists of institutional capacity building. To further institutional capacity building, two partner institutes have been identified in Sub-Saharan Africa: the Universities of Cape Town in collaboration with Witwatersrand in South Africa for an anglophone African version and the Center for Advanced Studies in Business Administration and Management Sub-Saharan Africa | 2000 19 (CESAG) in Senegal for the francophone African version. The goals of this program are two-fold: first, to help the partner institutes become regional centers of excellence in health sector reform and second, to undertake regional flagship training activities for mid- to high-level government officials working on health reform. The two partner institutes will deliver training courses in their respective coun- tries for the regions they serve starting in September 1999. Contact: Paul Shaw, telephone: 1-202-473 3441, email: pshaw@worldbank.org Adapting to Change: Population, Reproductive Health and Health Sector Reform The objectives of this three-week global course are providing par- ticipants with the basis for understanding the changing policy and program environment in the areas of population and reproductive health and equipping participants with the tools needed to design and deliver cost-effective packages of reproductive health information and services. In addition, the program aims to empower participants working in national health systems with an understanding of the pressures for reform and of how key reform initiatives can be harnessed to deliver more effective reproductive health services and outcomes. It brings together public- and private-sector professionals involved in the financing, planning, and implementing of reproductive health and family planning services in Bank client countries. Staff members from the Bank and other donor agencies who are working with countries to implement the reproductive health approach called for in the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development will also participate in the program. Joint training of participants from client countries and Bank staff members is expected to contribute to shared learning and the development of a common language and understanding of the issues and options involved. In addition to providing the core course, the Population Program has initiated a distance learning program and will begin work with partner institutions in West Africa in early 2000. Contact: Arlette Campbell White, telephone: 1-202-473-3301, email: awhite1@worldbank.org Sub-Saharan Africa | 2000 20 P A RT I C I P A T I O N Gender, Growth, and Poverty This half-day workshop aims to help participants design and imple- ment policies and programs that serve to equalize employment opportunities for women and men, access to financial services, and education and training. The targeted audience includes policymakers from Sub-Saharan Africa and World Bank staff. If successful, this seminar will result in more gender-responsive policies and programs in the countries represented by participants. Contact: Jerri Dell, telephone: 1-202-473-3210, email: jdell@worldbank.org Girls' Education Under the umbrella of this program, strategic resource planning studies are being carried out to examine constraints on girls' educa- tion, and then to identify the policy options and estimate the resources needed to overcome these constraints. The Forum for African Women Educationalists commissioned these studies with financial support from the Rockefeller Foundation and technical assistance from the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex. WBI helps manage this partnership and ensure linkages to operational departments in the Bank. Studies have been completed in Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Malawi, Mali, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia and the implementation of recommendations is underway. Contact: Karen Lashman, telephone: 1-202-473-0123, email: klashman@worldbank.org Economics and Business Journalism The course on Economics and Business Journalism is designed to help working journalists better understand, and better explain the economic realities facing their countries. It was offered for the first time at multi- ple sites in Africa over interactive television. The World Bank Learning Network, in collaboration with the African Virtual University, offers this WBI core course in eight weekly segments. With as many as 30 jour- nalists at seven participating sites, the course makes greater use of the leverage that is possible through distance education. In addition, WBI is working with partner training institutions in a half-dozen anglophone African countries that plan to offer versions Sub-Saharan Africa | 2000 21 of the Economics and Business Journalism course. Working with the London-based Commonwealth Broadcasting Association, WBI con- ducts radiobroadcasting workshops in six anglophone countries focusing on health issues, with particular emphasis on AIDS/HIV, environmentally transmitted illness, and early childhood health and nutrition. For the francophone countries, WBI is beginning a partner- ship with Agence Syfia, in Montpellier, France, to provide training for francophone African journalists in rural economy, environment, and development issues. Contact: Timothy Carrington, telephone: 1-202-473-8133, email: tcarrington@worldbank.org Investigative Journalism An objective of the Bank's investigative journalism program is to expand partnerships with international media agencies. In collabora- tion with the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association, WBI has organized workshops for radio and television journalists in Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Uganda, successfully using investigative journalism pedagogy. A program of bimonthly videoconferences was launched with the Commonwealth Press Union to brief journalists across Africa on the Union's recent conference on press freedom. National or subregional workshops were held in Benin, Mali [in collaboration with The West African Newsmedia and Development Centre (WANAD) and the French Ministry of Cooperation], and Ethiopia [in collaboration with Department of International Development (DFID) of the United Kingdom]. A particular highlight of these workshops and conferences was the publication of pedagogical material in Amharic and Kiswahili, for local delivery of investigative journalism programs. Continuing in the strategic direction adopted last year, the program will focus on strengthening partnerships with national, regional, and international agencies. Contact: Frederick Stapenhurst, telephone: 1-202-473-3210, email: fstapenhurst@worldbank.org Civic Participation in Municipal Governance WBI's Civic Participation in Municipal Governance Program, executed through the Municipal Development Program based in Harare, Zimbabwe, is based on the belief that civic participation is fundamental to ensuring the success of fiscal, political, and functional decentral- ization at the local level. The goal of the project is to improve the capacity of both civil society and local governments to work together World Bank Institute 22 productively, both to better ensure the delivery of local services and to enhance the accountability of local governments. Contact: Mary McNeil, telephone: 1-202-473-3861, email: mmcneil@worldbank.org, or Victor Vergara, telephone: 1-202-473-3942, email: vvergara@worldbank.org Strengthening Parliaments In collaboration with the Africa Leadership Forum, the World Bank facilitated the Democratization of African Parliaments and Political Parties conference, held in Gaborone, Botswana, in July 1998 and the joint World Bank-DFID seminar titled Parliament and Good Governance: Towards a New Agenda in Controlling Corruption, held in Uganda in February 1999. One of the outcomes of the latter was the formation of the African Parliamentarians Network against Corruption. At the national level, workshops were organized for the public accounts and finance committees of Ghana and the public accounts and local governments accounts committees of Tanzania. The centerpiece of the Bank's support for African Parliaments this year will be support for the African Parliamentarians Network against Corruption. In addition, strong African participation is expected in both the Bank-Commonwealth Parliamentary Association global seminar on Parliament and the Media and in the global seminar for Parliamentary Staff. National workshops for public accounts and finance committees are planned for Ghana and Nigeria and a subregional workshop for oversight committees is planned for East Africa. Contact: Frederick Stapenhurst, telephone: 1-202-473-3210, email: fstapenhurst@worldbank.org Think Tank Capacity Building Think tanks are ideal partners for the World Bank with its vision of a knowledge bank that aims to develop local capacity to conduct policy-relevant research and training and promote broader participa- tion in the development debate. The African Capacity Building Foundation, the International Development Research Center of Canada, and the Center for International Private Enterprise of the United States have invested in the establishment and upgrading of numerous independent research centers and policy institutes. These institutions joined with WBI to hold a workshop in Harare, Zimbabwe, that will help think tanks learn how to improve their Sub-Saharan Africa | 2000 23 effectiveness and sustainability. Contact: Erik Caldwell Johnson, telephone: 1-202-458-9891, email: ejohnson2@worldbank.org P R O J E C T M A N A G E M E N T A N D E V A L U AT I O N Evaluation The development of national or sectoral evaluation systems, or evaluation capacity building, is increasingly recognized as an impor- tant aid to sound governance and as a means to help achieve high levels of public sector performance. Performance measurement is an essential activity, because it provides an opportunity and a framework for questioning the validity, the relevance, and the progress of programs. Client countries with sound evaluation sys- tems have illustrated the links between evaluation capacity and World Bank Institute 24 good governance. As good governance programs develop, the need for evaluation capacity building increases. It is the most effec- tive way to sustain public sector reforms, support anticorruption initiatives, and improve the quality and transparency of public expenditure management. WBI, in partnership with other develop- ment agencies and universities, proposes to train staff of public sector institutions that seek to increase their ability to monitor and evaluate their own performance. Contact: Marie-Aline Wood, telephone: 1-202-473-3877, email: mwood@worldbank.org ld L t World Bank Learning Network AccessNet Courses WBI, through its AccessNet program, delivers distance learning courses using multimedia technologies including videoconferencing, the Internet, CD-ROM, print, and other supporting media. While still allowing for an integrated design, this approach can be configured to meet a variety of individual and institutional needs. Each course is generally offered four times during WBI's fiscal year, typically at three- month intervals. An AccessNet course generally comprises up to 40 hours of learning and instruction and can be modularized, expanded, and contracted as demand and specific audiences warrant. AccessNet Courses, Fiscal Year 2001 s Workshop on Poverty Reduction Strategies s Intergovernmental Fiscal Relations and Local Financial Management s Analytical and Policy Issues in Macroeconomics s Global Integration and the New Trade Agenda s Controlling Corruption: An Integrated Strategy s Urban and City Management s Social Security and Pension s Health Sector Reform and Sustainable Financing s Population Economics and Reproductive Health Sub-Saharan Africa | 2000 25 s Political Economy of the Environment s Competition Policy s Policy and Institutional Reform for Sustainable Rural Development s Social Dimensions of Development s Economics and Business Journalism s Project Document System s Strategic Communication for Bank Projects s Africa Region Community of Practice s Orientation for New Staff s Introduction to Program Evaluation s Procurement s Critical Issues in Teacher Development s Delivering Distance Learning Activities: World Bank Learning Network Site Coordinator Orientation s Introduction to Distance Learning and the World Bank Learning Network: For Course Developers s Learning Space: How to Enter Course Content and Activities World Bank Learning Network Point-Multipoint Teleseminars Point-Multipoint events typically consist of a series of teleseminars focusing on given topics, such as urban policy, poverty, and educa- tion reform. Each session lasts about two hours, featuring highly interactive discussions among four or five sites. Since its inception, over 3,000 clients have participated in point multipoint activities. Point-Multipoint Series, Fiscal Year 2001 Africa Roundtable is a monthly series that focuses on topical issues and broader development questions pertaining to Africa. The Africa Roundtable provides opinion leaders in the region with a direct channel to the Bank. Its primary audience consists of journalists and other media professionals. Education Ministers' Series is a monthly series that brings together education experts and practitioners to hear former or current educa- tion ministers discuss education reforms and other critical aspects of good education systems. Curbing Corruption is an ongoing series that focuses broadly on corruption issues, including some of the challenges of corruption World Bank Institute 26 WBI CORE COURSES FOR SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA FISCAL YEAR 2001 WBI offers a setof core courses on topics that are critically important to the development process.These courses incorporate state-of-the-art theory and practice, and undergo extensive peer review. All courses are conducted in partnership with international, regional,and national academic and train- ing institutions;and are delivered by face-to-face and distance learning.For more information,visit: www.worldbank.org/wbi/corecourses. s Poverty Analysis for Policymaking s Macroeconomic Management:New Methods and Current Policy Issues s Managing Capital Flows in a Volatile Financial Environment s Decentralization:Intergovernmental Fiscal Relations and Local Financial Management s Global Integration and the New Trade Agenda s Controlling Corruption:An Integrated Strategy s Budgetary Processes and Public Expenditure Management s Building Knowledge and Expertise in Infrastructure Finance s Global Reform and Privatization of Public Enterprise s Urban and City Management s Privatization and Regulation of Transport Services s Competition Policy s Adapting to Change: Population, Reproductive Health,and Health Sector Reform s Health Sector Reform and Sustainable Financing s Pension Reform s Labor MarketInitiatives s Social Safety Nets s Education Reform s Water Policy Reform s Policy and Institutional Reform for Sustainable Rural Development s Social Development s Environmental Economics for Development Policy s Economics and Business Journalism s Using Knowledge for Development and strategies for dealing with it at all levels. This series has helped enhance awareness about transparency and corruption in different areas. Joint WBI-World Trade Organization Programs comprise four tele- seminars dealing with trade-related issues. Topics include proce- dures, regulations, and requirements for World Trade Organization notification; tariffs and tariff renegotiation; technical barriers to trade; and general agreement on trade in services and intellectual property rights. Good Governance, a new series and a joint effort between WBI and the Parliamentary Centre in Canada, will be offered quarterly to address different aspects of governance. Euro is a monthly series that will examine the effects this currency would have on economies in Africa and other regions. This program will feature sessions with experts on the subject from Europe and will be delivered through the Bank's Paris office. Child Labor is a bimonthly series that will examine this important human rights issue through an economic perspective by focusing on the reasons for and manifestations of child labor. This program aims to disseminate child-labor-related information to and from the group's partners in different countries in Africa and other regions. Prospects and Risks in the External Environment of Developing Countries is sponsored by the Development Prospects Group and discusses the Bank's briefing notes with the same title. It covers the one-year outlook for industrial countries, world trade, commodity prices, capital flows, and global risk on a bimonthly basis. The World Development Report Dissemination series, an offshoot of the DEC Completed Research series, is dedicated to the Bank's premier research publication, the World Development Report. This series is offered several times to different regions around the time of the World Development Report's release. A joint WBI-Inter-American Development Bank Program will target World Bank Institute 28 multilateral development banks worldwide. Topics planned for fiscal year 2000 include the Y2K problem, records management, exchange of best practices, and business process reengineering. Economic Management, sponsored by the Scholarship Unit of WBI, is a series targeting at graduate students in economics and manage- ment and dealing with economic management issues. Eclairage: Théorie et Pratique de la Politique Economique, a monthly series cosponsored by the Ecole Nationale Supérieure and the Bank, will be held monthly at the Bank's Paris office. Sub-Saharan Africa | 2000 29 P H O T O G R A P H Y All photos by Lawrence Merrill except photos on pages 8 and 16 by Curt Carnemark D E S I G N Patricia Hord.Graphik Design